The Past Can Never Leave
by xoxomickeyxoxo
Summary: When a young girl is admitted with a relatively simple diagnosis, House, Cuddy, and the team questions themselves and their past. Huddy. R&R please!
1. Chapter 1

While writing my other fanfic [Another Life - go check it out!] I got this idea for a story. This one is even close to being as AU as the other one, and it has medicine in it. Now, I'm a medicine nerd [I'm hoping to be accepted into the early admit program at Northwestern University], and I worked so hard to try to get the terms and everything right. It was going to be a lot more complicated than it turned out, because I gave myself a headache trying to connect everything, so this story focuses less on the medicine. But I tried to get it right!

I hope you like it!

**Disclaimer:** **I do not own House M.D, characters, or storylines.**

**Copyright: Except mine.**

Read, review and enjoy!

* * *

A young girl sat in the clinic waiting area, tapping her beige heel against the clinic floor. She tousled her long raven black hair, feeling the humidity from the hot summer already starting to make her hair expand as the doors opened and closed, patients checking in and out. She was looking around the clinic, fascinated by the people and the doctors, and leaned past the desk to look into the office of Dr. Lisa Cuddy, Dean of Medicine, who was calmly filing papers. The girl smiled, wondering what it would be like to one day work in a big hospital such as this one. She coughed into her elbow, not wanting to spread germs by coughing into her palm. She leaned back in the uncomfortable chair, twitching around to find a comfortable position.

Cameron, who was tired of being in the ER all afternoon with only a broken arm in a car accident and a nose that wouldn't stop bleeding, decided to catch up on some clinic duty. She flipped through the patient files, deciding which clinic patient to treat.

"Is there an Alexis Tanner here?" Alexis looked up, grabbing her purse off the chair next to her and standing up.  
"That's me," she said, following Cameron into Exam Room Three. Alexis sat on the table, swinging her feet off the side.

"Runny nose, coughing, wheezing, difficulty breathing... It sounds like…"

"Bronchitis, right?" Cameron looked up at the girl, stunned for a moment by her piercing blue eyes.

"Wow, you really know your stuff." Alexis blushed, heat creeping up her neck to her face

"I've wanted to be a doctor since… I don't know, five, maybe. I love all things medicine." Cameron smiled, scribbling a few notes down in her file.

"There was also some blood in what came up this morning and that's when I decided to drive here." Cameron nodded.

"You made a good choice. I'm going to give you some Amoxicillin and it should go away –," Cameron was cut off by a persistent coughing coming from behind her. Cameron rushed over to her, putting her hand on her small back. Alexis looked at the friendly doctor, fear resounding in her eyes.

"I … can't… breathe!" she wheezed, coughing some more.

* * *

"16 year old girl presents early symptoms of acute bronchitis," Cameron said, holding out the file to House. House looked up at her from twirling his cane and looked at her with his bright blue eyes, ignoring the file.

"There. Diagnosis: Bronchitis. Done," he said, rolling his eyes and pushing the file away. Cameron shook her head.

"I think it's something else. We had to give her an oxygen mask just to keep her O2 stats stable."

"Well then keep her on an oxygen mask for the rest of her life. I'm sure it won't be **too** difficult." Cameron rolled her eyes at her former boss. She bent down to his level, putting her hand on the arm of his chair.

"Either you can take this case, be done in a couple of hours and go home early, or you can take a case I'm sure Cuddy has already for you and be here until midnight," Cameron said, raising her eyebrows, knowing how to please him. House pouted like a small child, but reluctantly grabbed the case file. Taub, Kutner, Foreman, and Thirteen watched the humorous interaction, covering their smiles.

"Could be asthma," Kutner said. House glanced at him with a look of disgust

"It could be anything. Go do get a CT scan of her lungs," House waved them off, bored already. Cameron watched him with a smirk on her face.

"What do you want?" House asked, rolling his eyes, getting up, limping away. Cameron snickered, heading back to the ER.

He headed into his office and began to play toss his grey and red ball with his cane. Cuddy burst into his office, holding a stack of case files.

"I have at least six cases and you're in here just sitting!" She complained, fanning out the cases on his desk, placing her hands on his desk, leaning down to eye-level. House raised his eyebrows suggestively as the tops of her breasts came into view. Cuddy rolled her eyes, but didn't move from her position, quietly pleased by the attention that he was giving her.

"In case you haven't heard, I have a case. Cameron just brought it in," he said, unphazed by her obsession about his work. He put his feet on top of the desk, twirling his cane around as he watched Cuddy glaring intensely at him.

"Is it a real case or one of your obsessions where you think that someone is sick, like the soap star last year?" Cuddy rolled her eyes, pacing around the room, looking for an excuse to stay.

"That's a bad argument… considering I was actually right about that one… but it's a real case," he said, watching every curve of her body, the way the light shined on her hair and body. Cuddy was beautiful in every way and there were some feelings of a sort inside her, but he was sure she just saw him as the misanthropic brooding doctor.

* * *

Alexis, have you ever been in one of these before?" Thirteen asked, as they wheeled her down to the CT scanner. Alexis shook her head.

"But I know you have to use contrast to get the best picture and I could develop a reaction, such as kidney failure." Thirteen and Taub exchanged a look and Alexis blushed again.

"I… want to be a doctor. And I think Patrick Dempsey is really cute." Thirteen smiled and laughed, as they helped her onto the CT machine. Taub went back into the imaging room and sat, ready to watch the screen.

"Injecting contrast material," Thirteen called, flipping the switch on the IV.

"Just try to lie as still as possible, Alexis," Thirteen called, as she flipped the switch on the CT scan, and Alexis took a deep breath as the machine rolled her in. Thirteen headed back into the imagining room and sat on the chair with Taub. The machine started rolling and they watched the images flash on-screen.

"I don't know why Cameron was so convinced there was something wrong, I'm sure she just caught germs from kissing or something. You know how kids are," Taub said, looking at the images. "Looks okay…" Thirteen looked at Taub, mouth agape.

"You're so cynical, Taub. Not all teenagers have sex and do drugs. I mean, she's so smart… she just doesn't seem like that." Thirteen sat up straighter in the chair.

"Look at that," she said. "Her lungs are slightly swelled. And granulomas – on both lungs."

"Sarcoidosis, maybe?" Thirteen stood up and pressed the intercom on the machine.

"Thanks, Alexis, we have what we need." Thirteen smirked at Taub, who held up his hands in surrender. She opened the door and got Alexis out of the machine. Alexis looked up at her.

"Does it look bad?"

"It looks like sarcoidosis -," she paused, wondering if Alexis knew. Alexis nodded, prodding her on. "We're going to check with our boss to make sure." Alexis breathed a sigh of relief.

"Sarcoidosis isn't life-threatening." Thirteen smiled and nodded.

Thirteen handed the image over to House, who held it up in the light, trying to get a better look.

"Lungs are swollen with granulomas all over the place. Looks like sarcoidosis." House nodded in agreement.  
" Go start her on prednisone and if she seems to be getting better on the meds in 12 hours send her home with a prescription." Thirteen nodded, walking away.

* * *

"You took a patient voluntarily?" Wilson asked, leading House through the cafeteria line, not making any notice to the large stack of food that House was piling on top of his own meal. "And one that didn't even have interesting symptoms?" House shrugged, grinning as Wilson paid for the ridiculous amounts of food on his plate. House limped after him, seating himself at the first open table he saw, rubbing his thigh.

"Cameron was wasted on being a doctor – she should have been a saleswoman – if I took this case, I can keep Cuddy off of my back about clinic duties and other cases." Wilson nodded – this sounded more House-like than actually taking a case for goodwill.

"Why did Cameron think it was something worse than bronchitis?"

"You know Cameron, latches onto every moving thing – I'm surprised her apartment isn't filled with lions, tigers, and bears, oh my!" House exclaimed, ignoring his food and reaching over, tearing off a piece of Wilson's sandwich.

* * *

Cameron had been extremely busy all morning, but her thoughts kept going back to Alexis, wondering if she was all right or if House was performing useless tests on her just to avoid Cuddy. On her and Chase's lunch break, before they headed down to the cafeteria, Cameron begged Chase to stop by with her to see Alexis.

Alexis looked up from reading and smiled to see Dr. Cameron looking through the glass at her, with another extremely attractive doctor. A blush crept up her skin and she put down the book. Chase glanced at the title.

"Anna Karenina? Summer reading?" he asked. Alexis shook her head.

"No, it's my favorite book," she said blushing again. "Your accent… Czech with about 30 years of Aussie thrown in, right?" Chase and Cameron exchanged a glance.

"Yeah… How did you know?"

"I've always been able to hear things really well… my 'dad' said that was the one good thing I could do," she said rolling her eyes, taking a drink from the cup of water on her beside table. Cameron wrinkled her eyebrows at the quotations around the word dad.

"I was adopted when I was a few weeks old… but then my adoptive mom died and then my father started drinking… They told me I was the product of a mistake… but I've always wanted to find my parents," Alexis spoke freely and openly. Cameron's mouth dropped open a little bit and Chase noticed the "abandoned-puppy" look on Cameron's face and shook her shoulder.

"Cam, we only have fifteen minutes to eat… we really need to go." He turned to Alexis. "We'll stop by later. It was nice to meet you," he said, ushering Cameron out of the room

* * *

"How are you doing Alexis?" Thirteen asked, coming in to check her stats and put her through another round of prednisone. Alexis smiled.

"I don't know if it's the placebo effect, but I feel a lot better," she said, bending her knee to itch at something on her shins and ankles. Thirteen noticed and pulled back the sheets and immediately swatted her hand away.

"You have skin lesions over your shins and ankles," Thirteen asked, looking over her for more. Alexis looked at Thirteen, horrified.

"Does this mean that you were wrong?"

"No, it's called erythema nodosum, they are a common side effect of …," Thirteen stopped talking, hearing the beeping on her machine start to go faster. She pressed a finger to her pulse.

"She's going into v-tach; get me a crash cart in here now!" She yelled as the nurse wheeled in the cart. Thirteen hurriedly put gel on the paddles and pressed them to the girl's chest.

"Charging… clear! Charging… clear!" The beeping stopped and Thirteen looked at the stats and breathed a sigh of relief.

"She's stable."


	2. Chapter 2

Hi everyone! So here's the second chapter for this story. Sorry it's been forever, I was furiously trying to finish my other story Another Life [you should check that one out too]. But here it is, and this is going to be my main story for a while :)

It's me xororygilmorexo - just a different penname. I was originally going to write Gilmore Girl fanfics and I had posted up a first chapter to one, but as much as I love it, I don't have the feel of the dialouge and the pop culture references - so I wanted to switch to something more House oriented because that, I can write.

**Disclaimer: Don't own House MD, characters, storylines.**

* * *

"Her stats are stable now and we gave her cortisone cream for the rash, but she seems to be feeling worse than she had this morning. We did the lung biopsy just to be 100 percent sure and it's definitely sarcoidosis, but we should keep her a couple extra days. It doesn't look like that she gets much care at home and it's safest," Kutner explained to House and he nodded.

"Fine by me – keeps Cuddy off of my back about a case," House said, not actually paying attention to his employee, focused intently on the soap opera playing in front of him.  
"Dr. Hammond just delivered Melanie's twins, but he doesn't know that they're his," House explained, gesturing to the television set with his cane. Kutner nodded in mock interest and then headed out, leaving the file on the desk.

It cooler in the afternoon now, the sun concealed by buildings and the trees and the temperature had leveled around seventy. House's employees, old and new, had gathered for iced tea out in the park.

"How's the patient doing?" Cameron asked, leaning against Chase, propping her feet up on the side of the bench. Chase smiled at her concern, running his fingers through his girlfriend's hair.

"She's okay… she was feeling better than she developed a rash and went into v-tach," Thirteen explained, starting to laugh as she saw Cameron's face go from serene to horrified in zero seconds flat.

"There's something about her… she's really special, I feel sorry… about her parents… I mean, being told that you were a mistake and then having your 'dad' degrade you… Do you think she's being abused?" Cameron asked, sitting straight up, and then swaying a little as a head rush swept over her, red coloring her cheeks as the blood flowed back into her face.

"It's not medically relevant though… we know what she has," Foreman said, putting an arm around Thirteen, running his hand up and down her arm, sending chills up and down her spine. Thirteen twisted in the chair to face Foreman.

"But, it's still… important."  
"Just because you guys are in love with this girl, doesn't mean we have to call Child Services every time we think something is going on…"

"We could have Cuddy talk to her," Kutner said, finishing off his popsicle, tossing it in the garbage can. The team of doctors looked at each other in agreement.

* * *

Kutner had approached Cuddy about talking to the girl, and Cuddy was happy to help but reluctantly put aside tons of paperwork and phone calls to go pay a visit to House's patient. But once Cuddy stepped into the hospital room, her heart was immediately warmed by Alexis's smile.

"Dr. Cuddy, right?" Alexis said, immediately straightening up, and combing through her hair. "It's **so **nice to meet you," she gushed, shaking her hand. Cuddy smiled, sitting on the edge of her bed, not knowing where to begin.

"They think there is something going on besides what I have, don't they?" Cuddy opened her mouth, not sure what to say, wanting to both lie and be honest at the same time.

"They think that your father is… unfit to be a parent." Alexis smiled, shaking her head.

"It's nothing like that… but god, if I had the choice to be somewhere else, I would take it." Cuddy tilted her head, and the concern in her eyes urged Alexis to go on.

"I don't know anything about my birth parents. It was a closed adoption – they didn't want to see me, to know me. I was apparently a mistake. And then my adoptive parents took me in. My adoptive mom was as good of a mother as any birth mother could have been. But then she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer and within a year and a half of her diagnosis, she passed. I was only thirteen years old. They were truly in love though, and with her death, he fell apart and became distant and yelled all the time. More than anything… I just want to find my birth parents. Maybe, you know, if they met me, saw who I was, they would want me." Cuddy's heart broke at the tragic story, and just as she was about to offer a hug, even suggest genetic testing, her pager beeped. She looked down at it, sighing as it came from her secretary. It must be important.

"Would you like to DNA test for your parents?" Cuddy asked standing up. Alexis's blue eyes widened.

"Are you serious?" Cuddy nodded.

"It's your right to know who your parents are," Cuddy asked, as her pager beeped again. She looked out the door, holding her palm up to Alexis as she rushed out to grab Wilson by the shoulder.

"I need a favor," she pleaded, looking up into his kind face. Wilson nodded, not having much better to do.

"Could you get a DNA test for this girl? She wants to know who her real parents are. It's House's patient." Wilson nodded, following Cuddy into the patient's room, immediately recognizing Alexis. He had treated her mom three years ago and had known Alexis very well.

"Hi Dr. Wilson," Alexis said, smiling brightly to see the friendly doctor. Cuddy watched the exchange and smiled.

"Alexis, Dr. Wilson will do your test, because I have to go. It was so nice to talk to you," Cuddy said sincerely and then left. Wilson paged a nurse to bring in a swab test, and then pulled up a chair to sit next to the bed.

"How have you been?" Alexis bobbed her head.

"Can't complain," she said her heart pounding as she realized she was only a week away from maybe beginning a new life. The nurse came through the doors, holding the tube with the swab in it, handed it to Wilson and then left. Wilson screwed the top open, swabbing the sides of Alexis' mouth for a few seconds and then quickly putting it back into its case, tightening the lid.

"I should have the results back in a few days… do you think you'll still be here?" Alexis shrugged.

"I could be if I show more symptoms… Dr. House is so nice; he really wants to make sure that I'm okay." Wilson stifled a laugh, knowing that it was more the duckling's concern than House.

"I'll bring your test results in as soon as their done."

* * *

Cuddy flew down the PPTH halls, having long mastered the art of running in stiletto heels. She flew into her office to find House playing with her secretary's pager, Elle having left it on the desk unattended. Elle was the temporary replacement for her secretary who was on maternity leave, and Cuddy hadn't had proper time to warn her about House's crazy antics and childish games. Cuddy clenched her teeth, wondering for the umpteenth time that week why she still kept him on staff.

"I'm bored," he protested after a few moments and Cuddy rolled her eyes, walking past him into her office, where she picked up the pile of work that she had neglected and uncovering a few case files.

"I have cases for you, if you're that bored," Cuddy called, waving the case files over her head. House stood up and limped over to her, resting his weight on his cane as he stood in front of her desk. He fumbled around in his jacket pocket for a moment and popped a Vicodin, looking at her with an intense gaze. She looked up into his bright blue eyes and her heart stopped for a fraction of a second. Their games, the way that they drove each other crazy, the competition and the fights, underneath it all, she still felt a spark, a current of electricity that flowed through them. She tried so hard to fight it by distracting herself, with dating and the IVF, even immersing herself in her job, but nothing seemed to work.

"I'm never that bored," House said, breaking Cuddy out of her train of thought. "Plus the lack of more than one case gives me time to ogle at your new secretary. Did you see the rack -?" Cuddy held up a palm to stop him.

"As much as you would like to believe, women don't look at each other." House looked thoroughly frightened.

"I went to see your patient today," Cuddy said eager to change the subject. House rolled his eyes.

"The ducklings wanted to know if she was being abused, regardless of the fact that it's not diagnostically relevant." Cuddy shrugged.

"They should listen to their boss more often."  
"Actually, even though you're their boss, I'm your boss, so it's okay that I went," Cuddy said, standing up to search for a file in the cabinet. House watched her stand up and his mouth dropped. Cuddy looked at him, putting her hand on her hip.  
"What?"

"I thought you quit with the IVF." A pang went through Cuddy's chest and she felt even angrier with him. Sometimes he could push all the wrong buttons – he knew how much that had hurt her.

"I did," she said, trying not to show him that his words affected her and turning around.

"Then how come your breasts have grown exponentially larger in the past couple weeks?"

* * *

Alexis sat in her room, feeling… better than bad, she had decided on. The disease left her fatigued and her cough was coming back. The team had decided to up her dose of prednisone for the day and then gradually decrease for the next seven days, eager to avoid adrenal suppression. She slumped back into her pillow, trying to ignore her diagnosis and focus on finding her parents. If they were still in New Jersey, there could still be a way to contact them. However, she feared that they would want nothing to do with her, or even worse, try to prove that she wasn't theirs. She could choose not to see the results, but she worried that if she didn't see them, she would regret it for the rest of her life. Alexis closed her eyes, thinking about how she came in with potential bronchitis and now she was hooked up to an IV, eating crappy hospital food, with a DNA test that could perhaps change her life. She pulled her iPod from the nightstand drawer, flipping through the songs, falling asleep to the songs she knew so well.

* * *

House finished off his Scotch, sliding onto the piano bench, starting to play a lullaby, his fingers pressing lightly against each key to create a beautiful harmony. The piece picked up in speed and his thoughts started to race, but they all had a central undertone – Cuddy. The events surrounding Stacy had left his already glass heart cracked, maybe even immune to love or feelings. But Cuddy was his boss, a different species of a woman and even as hard as he tried to fight it, there was something there. She had perjured herself for him, confided in him with the IVF, and recently, after the adoption of Joy fell through, they shared a kiss. The tune turned sweet now and House now began to think of Cuddy's smile, her soul, and the way she could always turn someone's day around. He finished the piece, the notes hanging in the air, elusive and bright. House fished out some sheets from under the stack he had laying on the top and grabbed a pencil. He thought for a moment, but then in his messy scrawl, on top of the piece, he wrote '_Cuddy's Lullaby.'_

* * *

Cuddy sat in her living room curled on the couch, wearing a black robe over her tank top and shorts. What seemed like endless amount of busy work sat in front of her; insurance forms and performance reviews were what seemed to carve out the majority of the night. If she wasn't distracted, she could have most of the work done by the end of the night. But no distractions seemed like an impossible feat, as her mind wandered over insignificant things, such as House's patient. Something about her made Cuddy feel warm inside, but also made her feel sad, as she was slowly realizing she wasn't going to ever experience the parenting thing. She was already 38 and after giving up on the IVF, she still hadn't found Mr. Right. Work kept her too busy, so her options were extremely limited. The doctors, while many where nice and attractive, she was sure that none of them looked at her as anything more than their administrator. But something inside told her that House was this exception. Cuddy sighed, setting aside her pen, as she realized that she was definitely not going to get any work done now. She headed to the kitchen, her thoughts racing through her head. Even if there were feelings there for him, he would never reciprocate, but she knew how their relationship would go – fabulously, but end in some huge blowup. And with that thought, she was too afraid to follow her heart.

* * *

A couple nights later, Wilson sat in the lab, having no one to be home for, and still having to fulfill his duties to the hospital. He had brought paperwork that he had to finish, and was working on that, when the machine beeped. He closed his files and stuffed them in his briefcase, this being his last stop of the day. Wilson pressed the button on the machine, and the results of Alexis' DNA test were printed. He looked over the paper, disbelief growing by the second. Wilson shook his head. He was tired and probably wasn't looking at this clearly. He threw his briefcase over his shoulder and headed down to the doctor's lounge, where he poured himself a cup of coffee, sitting down on the couch. Five minutes passed and he felt more alert and ready to look. He rubbed his eyes, pulling out the DNA test again. It looked exactly the same as it had ten minutes ago. His jaw dropped at the paper that could possibly change three people's lives forever.

"Oh, my, god."


	3. Chapter 3

Hi everyone! Sorry this took so long to get up. It was partly because I was gone in DC, and partly because I was trying sooo hard to get the flashback scene really right. I worked really hard on this, so I really hope you like it!

**Disclaimer & Copyright**

So, as always, read, review and enjoy!

* * *

"Wilson! Wilson!" Cuddy called to the doctor walking in front of her, picking up her pace to meet him.

"Oh, hi, Cuddy," Wilson said, looking distracted.

"I've tried to page you a couple times today – did you lose it?" Cuddy asked. Wilson shook his head.

"I just left it on my desk," Wilson said, at the exact same time a loud beeping was heard from his pocket. His face flushed and he looked at Cuddy, embarrassed.

"What's going on with you?" she laughed, reaching out to punch him playfully on the shoulder. He shook his head.

"Nothing… just a little busy. Is there something important that you were trying to page me about?" Cuddy furrowed her brow, scrutinizing him to try to read something on his face. She saw nothing, and shook her head of raven black curls, dismissing herself as crazy.

"The board meeting got moved a half an hour back, and I thought I should let you know." Wilson nodded.

"I have to go…" he said, and then headed off in the same direction that he had come. Cuddy turned and watched him go, shaking her head.

Wilson hurriedly walked away, turning the corner and leaning back against the wall. It had been two days since he got back the results of Alexis's DNA test and the results greatly troubled him. He hadn't spoken much to anyone; much less give the results back to her. He shook his head, heading to the doctor's lounge to grab a cup of coffee. Chase and Cameron were in there, Cameron sitting cross-legged on the couch, while Chase was heating up Easy-Mac for the two of them. He nodded to them, pouring himself a massive cup of coffee. Cameron watched him and went to go sit with the older doctor, reading the concern on his face.

"Is everything okay, Wilson?" Wilson looked up into the eyes of the concerned, younger doctor and sighed. Cameron had known him well enough that he couldn't lie to her – she was one of the people who had helped him get over Amber. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the DNA test, handing it to Cameron. Cameron scrutinized the paper, her curiosity quickly turning into shock.

"Oh my god," she breathed, not able to look away.

"I know," he said, slumping back into the chair and rubbing his temple. Chase came over to Cameron, his eyes bugging out slightly as he saw the results.

"Wow."  
"I know," he repeated, sitting up. "What should I do?"

"Well… have you told anyone?" Cameron asked, sighing.

"Nope."

"Well you have to tell her… much less them!" Wilson put up a hand to stop her, his thoughts whirling around in his head, a cyclone of confusion. Cameron shook her head; not letting him shut her down. "If you don't tell her, I will." Wilson defiantly snatched the paper away from her, putting in his pocket and getting up.

"I'm going to tell them now," he said resignedly and made his way out of the doctors' lounge to House's office, where he expected him to be tossing a ball or watching a soap opera. Surprisingly enough, he wasn't there and as he leaned against the glass wondering where he could be, his pager beeped in his pocket. He sighed, pulling it out reading a 911 from Cuddy. Wilson resignedly made his way toward the Dean of Medicine's office, deciding that it might be easy to break the news to Cuddy first. As he made his ways down the crowded halls of the hospital, his spirits lifted – Cuddy was always so maternal and she always had wanted a child. The memory of her tearful confession to him about her three attempts with IVF seemed like it was just yesterday. He headed through the clinic to Cuddy's office and he stood in the doorway, watching House hold Cuddy's pager up in the air and her stretching on her tiptoes to reach it. Wilson laughed the two of them like cat and mouse, or a boy stealing a girl's pencil in the first grade. The weight he had been carrying around suddenly collapsed on his shoulders as he realized the serious implications of what he was about to do. He turned around to walk out the door but House looked up at that time.

"Wilson!" he yelled. "Let's play monkey in the middle! Or should I say doctor in the middle," he remarked childishly, waving Wilson over. Wilson winced, heading over to them, the DNA test in his hand.

"What's that?" Cuddy asked, jumping to grab her pager from a distracted House and turning to face Wilson, a small smirk on her face. Wilson took a deep breath and dove in, handing Cuddy the paper. He watched the emotions on Cuddy's face as she lowered herself into the chair. House limped over to read over Cuddy's shoulder and for the first time since the infarction, Wilson read fear on House's face. House leaned on the desk for support, his body trembling slightly.

"I'm sorry… should I have not said anything?"

"No," they both said in unison and then flinched at the sound of the other's voice.

"When did we ever -?" House began to ask and then his eyes widened as he remembered the one night that they had ever managed to get it together. He turned to Cuddy who was looking down, her shoulders shaking. Wilson pulled up a chair, sitting in front of her, putting his hands on her shoulders as tears leaked down her cheeks.

"What happened?" Cuddy looked up, the rims of her eyes red, burning a hole in House's heart. He wanted nothing more than to than to take her in his arms and comfort her, but he stayed frozen, unable to move from the desk, crippled with shock. They sat in silence as House and Cuddy recalled the night, just sixteen short years ago.

* * *

_It was a cold winter – one of the coldest of Lisa Cuddy's life. She wrapped her coat tightly around her thin, shapely body as she hurried across the quad to her last class of the day. She was still a little early, but her excitement was barely contained as she opened the giant double doors and pulled her knit cap off her black hair, running a hand through the messy waves. Lisa turned down the halls, heading into her classroom. A few students sat around the classroom, looking bored. She took her usual seat on the far right in the front row, pulling out her notebook and tapping her pen anxiously, waiting for the professor to come in. Students trickled through the doors, the professor came in with his briefcase, and papers and she sat up straighter, tapping her foot anxiously as she awaited the tests. It had been a major test, almost 20 percent of their semester grade and she wanted nothing more than to get the grade back._

_"Good afternoon class," he said, leaning against the desk. "I've got your tests here – I'll be handing them back and you can come in whenever you want to go over them. Some grades were good, others not so much, and many in between." He passed Lisa's desk, laying a paper on it. Lisa was smiling as she flipped the paper over, anticipating an A on the test she had studied so hard for, but her hands began to shake and a numbing feeling broke through her chest as she read the letter in bold red pen scratched across the first page. Tears stung her blue green eyes as her heart strummed out a beat that seemed to sing, "D, D, D." The class went by in a blur, her head throbbing, and the room spinning in circles. _

_"See you on Monday," the professor said and Lisa broke from her trance as she heard binders being snapped shut, computers powering down, as they shifted desks, trying to get out of the room as quickly as possible. Lisa sat stone still in her chair, not wanting to move – not able to move. _

_A __**D**__. Lisa had never gotten a D in her entire life. She was a straight A student – one of the top in her class. She had gotten a B on one final exam because she was seriously ill with the flu, but had pushed herself to study and show up even. But with this D, she, irrationally, but nonetheless, saw her degree, her whole future go down the toilet. Lisa took deep calming breaths and stood up shakily, sticking her books in her bag and heading out the room._

_"Hey Lise!" a female voice called from across the room and Lisa turned to look at her friend and roommate, Ali. _

_"There's a party tonight. You should totally come and check it out." While Lisa was brunette and studious, Ali was her opposite – blonde and extremely well liked. "I hear Greg House is going to make an appearance," Ali winked and Lisa blushed. Only in his second year of medical school, he was already a legend on campus. Stories circulated like wildfire through the student body about him – Lisa had never met him, but she wanted so badly to meet him – maybe he would be her boss someday. For the moment, the D was forgotten._

_Lisa and Ali made her way through the throng of people. Lisa feeling out of place and uncomfortable in a somewhat revealing shirt, a tight pair of jeans, and stiletto heels. Her hair hung in ringlets down her shoulders and her delicate features highlighted with makeup. This wasn't natural for her. Lisa's daily outfits usually consisted of loose jeans and sweatshirts, with her hair pulled up into a messy ponytail. Lisa fidgeted constantly and Ali elbowed her in the ribs. _

_"You look amazing, stop it." Lisa blushed, patting her curls. She scanned the crowd, looking for the bright blue eyes that she had heard so much about, but slumped back after she couldn't find them. All of a sudden, the energy in the crowd shifted and Lisa turned around and she could see the blue from across the room. Warmth creeped up her neck and despite the heat radiating from the bodies in the room, a shiver went through her body. _

_"Is that him?" Ali stood on her tiptoes, looking over the crowd and turned to Lisa, nodding. _

_"That's him. Do you want me to introduce you two?" Lisa rolled her eyes – of course, Ali had already met him. She blushed, shaking her head furiously._

_"No, I can talk to him," she softly remarked as she watched him make his way through the crowd and stop at the bar. She took a deep breath, brushing off her shirt and heading through the crowd, pushing past the inappropriate dancing and suddenly, she was next to him at the bar._

_"What do you want?" The bartender asked, gesturing to the massive amounts of liquor in front of him. Lisa snuck a glance at Greg, who was guzzling a beer and leaning coolly against a chair. _

_"Rum and Coke," Lisa said, naming the first drink that came to mind, not being a heavy drinker – or a drinker at all. The bartender handed the drink to her and she swallowed it, ignoring the biting taste. Greg watched her and stood up, walking over to her. She finished the drink in a matter of seconds. _

_"Can I get another rum and coke for ...?" Greg asked, looking at Lisa for her name._

_"Lisa. Cuddy," she stammered, as he handed her the second drink. She took a sip, and looked at the handsome, young man standing in front of hers, who had the blue eyes that could potentially break her heart into a million pieces._

_"Gregory House," he introduced, although it was a moot point, she already knew and idolized him. _

_"You're pretty hot," he said bluntly and Lisa blushed furiously, tucking her hair behind her ear._

_"You're not so bad to look at yourself," she flirted back as she finished her second drink and turned to ask for another one._

_"This usually isn't your scene, isn't it?" He asked, watching her self-destruct in front of him._

_"I got a D," Lisa said flatly, already a little drunk, her inhibitions completely thrown away._

_"I got caught cheating and kicked out of Johns Hopkins," he countered and Lisa backed down – his was worse._

_"Hey!" Ali called from across the room, making her way over to the two talking. Lisa started to laugh as she finished her third drink._

_"Ali," she sang, throwing her arm over the blonde's shoulder, as she giggled uncontrollably. Ali released herself from the young woman's grip, leaning back to look at her. _

_"Are you drunk?" The accusation was sharp in her tone; because while Ali loved to go to parties and have a good time, the roommates had both agreed, last year in fact, on no excessive drinking. _

_"A little," Lisa admitted, while laughing still. She grabbed another drink and downed it, the room beginning to spin around her. Ali sighed, running a hand through her straight hair, and put her arm around Cuddy._

_"Come on. Let's get you back to the room." Gregory watched the girl struggling with Lisa and he stepped up in a rare act of hospitality, a yellow dot against a black backdrop. _

_"I'll take her," he said, slipping his arm around Lisa's waist, feeling the curve of her hips in his hands. Lisa blushed, but didn't release herself from his grip._

_"Thanks Greg, I owe you." Ali said, fishing the room key out of the back pocket of Lisa's jeans, handing it to him._

_"I could have done that," he whined, pouting like a lost puppy. _

_Thankfully, their dorm room was in the building next to this one. Gregory House wasn't one for religion, but thanked god anyway that Lisa was light enough to carry. Opening the door to the girls' dorm room, he laid her gently on the couch and waited until she started to stir._

_"Oww…" she moaned, rubbing her temple. Her blue green eyes flickered open and she jumped as she saw the familiar blue eyes staring back at her. _

_"What are you doing here?" she asked, careful not to move too quickly._

_"I took you home." Her heart thudded dangerously at his voice and he moved closer to her. _

_"You're pretty hot. And running a little warm too," he grinned mischievously and Lisa smiled back at him weakly. He looked at her for a moment, then leaned down, and kissed her on the lips and she gave in to the kiss for a few moments and then pulled away._

_"What are you doing?" she breathed, taking in a whiff of his strong cologne. _

_"Shut up for a second," he replied, putting his hands on her face and pulling her into him. Her breath caught in her throat as she moved closer to him, wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a passionate, heated kiss. He pulled her up, insinuating that this was to move to the bedroom. She pulled him around the corner to her bedroom, pulling him on top of her as she continued to kiss him. Greg continued to kiss her passionately, tangling one hand in her hair as the other pulled off her shirt in one fluid motion. Goosebumps crawled over Lisa's body as he traced his finger across her stomach, around her back and up her sides. His lips made their way off her lips down her chin and neck and he lightly brushed them across his her collarbone. More shivers went up her spine and before she could feel too much, she turned him over, straddling him. His blue eyes reflected shock for a moment and then he smirked, raising an eyebrow. She kissed him, sliding her hands under his shirt, and pulling that off, feeling the contours of his muscles and breathing heavily. She stared at him with her blue green eyes, meeting his anxious ocean blue eye, her heart pounding._

_"Liseee. Come on, wake up already. It's one," Ali called, hopping on Lisa's bed, waving a cup of coffee and a muffin under her nose. The buzzing in Lisa's head only grew louder and more obnoxious, and she twisted into the fetal position, putting the pillow over her head._

_"Go away," she moaned, waving Ali away as she tried to subside the pounding in her head. _

_"The coffee will make you feel better, I promise." Lisa peeked one eye out from under he pillow and grabbed the coffee cup, slowly sitting up as she wrapped the blanket around her. _

_"I feel horrible," Lisa moaned. Ali shrugged, going to get up._

_"Hey." Ali turned around._

_"Are we okay?" Lisa asked anxiously. "I… don't know what that was last night." Ali smiled shyly and nodding._

_"We're good."_

_Two or three weeks passed and Lisa, for the most part, forgot about Greg and that night together. But one day, she had been getting ready to go to her first class, when her stomach started to turn. Lisa threw her books on the floor and sprinted to the toilet and throwing up everything she had eaten that morning. Beads of sweat broke out across her forehead as she lay back on the floor, pressing her warm cheek to the cool tile._

_'This can't be happening,' she thought as she counted the days since her last period and the days since she had been with Greg. She lay for a few more minutes and then stood up, gripping the edge of the counter for extra support. Lisa put her coat on, neglecting her books, and walked to the drug store right off campus. She picked out three pregnancy tests, avoiding the cashiers searching gaze as she handed over fifty dollars that would decide her fate. Lisa practically ran back to her room and did the three tests, now pacing across the bathroom, the two minutes that was needed seemed like forever now. She kept glancing at the clock, sitting on the edge of the toilet, tapping her foot against the floor anxiously. The two minutes were up and she took a deep breath, turning over one of the tests. It was positive and she scrambled up, turning over the other two, hoping one would be different. They were all the same and she sunk to the floor, engulfed in sobs. She wanted so badly to blame him, but she knew it was her own fault – one bad grade shouldn't have sent her reeling and doing things that were completely not in her nature. Keeping the baby came to her mind but the idea was quickly rejected – she had too much of her life ahead of her, and she was in no condition to be able to take care of a baby. Lisa didn't believe in abortion, only in extreme cases, and adoption was the only thing left. She placed a hand protectively on her stomach, tears running down her cheeks, as she plunged headfirst into the next nine months._

_They went by quickly, and pain-free for the most part. Lisa chose an obstetrician and started her pre-natal care. Ali was supportive, keeping routine calendars on everything from vitamins to the newest cravings. Her morning sickness and back pain were mild, and her weight gain wasn't too severe for the first six months. She wore baby doll tops and sweatshirts to conceal the bulge and by the time she was seriously showing, school was out for the summer and she and Ali shared an apartment, where it did not matter if her stomach was revealed. Lisa found adoptive parents, with whom she had met and liked, chosen out of many bios she had been given. The hardest thing about her pregnancy was dealing with Gregory. She had toyed with the idea of telling him, but she knew he, as well, had a life and a career in front of him – telling him the news only to tell him that she was giving it up seemed pointless. Plus, Lisa didn't want to make him feel like he had any obligation to her or the baby. _

_And it was just about her due date, when all of a sudden, on a cool August afternoon, Lisa and Ali were laying on the couch when a pain like a knife made her double over._

_"Are you okay?" Ali asked, sitting up, putting a hand on her back. Lisa nodded, and before she knew it, a clear liquid was running down her leg._

_"Oh my god," she breathed, doubling over in pain again. It was starting._

Cuddy now had her head nestled in the crook of Wilson's shoulder, her eyes having cried her eyes dry, now was shuddering tearless sobs.

* * *

"I… thought it was the best thing, for her. I was just so young, and not prepared to handle a baby," she explained while Wilson reassuringly rubbed her back. House stood frozen, not having moved throughout the whole conversation. He was a **father**. The concept was too big for him to wrap his mind around. He felt queasy and clutched his cane for support.

"Cuddy?" Wilson asked, lifting her up, looking into her sunken, guilt-ridden eyes. "We have to tell Alexis."


	4. Chapter 4

Hey everyone! I'm so sorry it's taken me so long - this was a REALLY hard chapter for me to write. I'm trying to improve my writing, and some of the stories on here make me feel very insignificant, writing wise. So I'm trying to make the writing richer.

This chapter, story, and most likely anything that I will ever write will be dedicated to Kutner. I *refuse* to acknowledge that he is dead, and so for the rest of my stories, he will be alive. Except if I decide to write one about how they deal with it, etc. But RIP Kutner!

**Disclaimer: I do not own House MD or anything else - all David Shore's.**

**Copyright: Don't take my story. I mean it's not an original idea, but the words are. **

So, read, review, and enjoy!

* * *

Cuddy went home that night, her emotions a storm of guilt, fear, and joy. Guilt for not finding her daughter after getting her life together, for not telling House; Fear of Alexis and House hating her; But joy because after sixteen years, and not a day going by that she hadn't thought about her, she had finally found her again. She got inside, dropping her bag and keys on the floor, her house suddenly seeming so huge and empty. An endless flow of tears streamed down her cheeks as she changed into her nightclothes, neglecting taking a shower or eating, wanting nothing more than to forget this had ever happened.

* * *

House strummed his guitar, each string somehow conveying a different emotion, combining to create his thoughts. He popped two Vicodin, washing them down with a Scotch, slamming the glass violently down on the table. To put it simply, House was angry. Angry for being stupid that night, angry at Cuddy, and angry at himself for being angry about this: he was Gregory House – he didn't have deep feelings. He couldn't say it aloud, that he had a daughter – much less wrap his mind around it. House swung his legs on the couch, the drugs, and the alcohol mixing to lull him into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

"What?" Foreman asked as he crawled into bed next to Thirteen, who was lying on top of the comforter, wearing a simple white tank top and red boxers. She looked contemplative, worry swimming in her teal eyes.

"Do you… think that you have a love child somewhere?" She asked hesitantly, not wanting to open a tightly hinged box. They had only been dating for a few months, and she knew she was walking on eggshells here. Foreman laughed, kissing her on the cheek.

"No," he said, with such certainty that Thirteen knew he wasn't lying.

"But how do you know for sure?"

"Because anyone I've spent one night with, I've ended up seeing again." Thirteen blushed – his past romances were a lot less complicated then hers. Her Huntington's had sent her spinning down a path of destruction, and with it bad companions, women she barely knew and drugs that left her unsure of what she had done the night before. A shiver went up her spine as Foreman shut the lights and kissed her goodnight, as her past memories played a vivid movie in her mind.

* * *

"Wow, wow, wow, wow," Cameron mused, climbing into bed next to Chase, who shut his book, placing it on the nightstand.

"Alexis?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. After two years, he could always tell exactly what was on her mind. She tucked her blonde hair behind her ears, pouting a little.

"Could we have known?"

"What? There's no way…" But even as Chase himself said it, he doubted it. Looking past the bright blue eyes copied from House's face, you could see resemblance of Cuddy on the planes of her face. And the way that Alexis had picked apart his accent, scrutinizing his lineage – just as House did, four or five years ago. The soft, maternal vibe that Alexis emitted was similar to that of Cuddy's. Chase shook his head – the only reason they were seeing it was because they knew it was there, and without knowing that, they would have never seen it.

* * *

Taub had brought in donuts early and he and Kutner were sitting in the differential room, relaxing with their feet propped up, waiting for House, and the rest of the team.

"So, did you hear the news about Alexis?"

"What that House and Cuddy hooked up for one night and the result of that was an illegitimate child? Yeah, I heard," Taub answered, rolling his eyes.

"You ever think that happened to you?" Kutner asked, Taub's flinching comments easily rolling off his back. Taub shrugged.

"I wouldn't want to know." Kutner laughed, finishing off the rest of his jelly donut, licking his fingers.

"_You_ wouldn't. I would though. I mean, there's this kid out there that has no idea who his or her real parents are, and you could alleviate some of that burden." Kutner shrugged. "Who knows," he pondered as Foreman and Thirteen came strolling through the glass doors.

"Hey you guys," Thirteen said, sitting down in her usual seat at the differential table, while Foreman got them coffee. "So did you know that Cuddy and House are going to tell Alexis today?" The team looked at each other. They wanted both a front row seat and a bomb shelter for cover when the situation exploded into a thousand colors.

* * *

House was sitting in Cuddy's office as she paced around nervously, waiting for Wilson to bring Alexis in. She chewed on her thumbnail, the anticipation of this event not only causing mental distress, but physical distress as well. Her normally coiffed hair was pulled into a messy bun, worry engraved in her every feature. She had opted for more comfortable slacks and lower heels, unlike her usual pencil skirts and stilettos. Cuddy rubbed her temple as the room darkened with clouds. House refused to speak to her, much less look in her direction.

"You won't be able to not talk to me forever," she said stubbornly, crossing her arms and turning to face him. It had only been 24 or so hours, but not talking to him was strangling, forcing herself to not act phased when he walked by her in the hallways. House turned his ice-cold gaze on her and raised his eyebrows, the silence saying more than words could. Cuddy sighed, tucking a stray hair behind her ear.

"I don't understand…" Cuddy said and before she realized what she had said, a hand angrily slammed down on the table, making Cuddy jump, whirling around.

"Goddamnit Cuddy, you hide something like this from me for sixteen years and you don't understand why I'm pissed? I know I don't seem like I'd be a great dad, but you didn't even give me a chance to be one!" Tears welled up in Cuddy's eyes as he hit a sensitive nerve. House's eyes widened as he saw what he was doing to her, but he couldn't stop. "Why the hell couldn't you have told me? I wasn't…" House sighed, running a hand through his already disheveled hair. "I wasn't miserable… I wasn't in pain. I could have… I could have been there. We could have…" House trailed off and Cuddy looked up, her blue green eyes sparkling with curiosity, as she walked over to him.

"What are you trying to say? Would you have wanted…?" She desperately wanted to say "me," but she couldn't form her mouth around the words. He couldn't look up and there they remained, two people both tortured by their feelings for each other and the longing to be together, but the chains that held them at an arm's length away.

* * *

Having been discharged, Alexis was dressed in real clothes for the first time in two or so weeks, Wilson took her to see House and Cuddy before she had to leave. They walked in silence, still not knowing the details.

"So tell me again what's going on?" Wilson smiled, the elevator stopping on the first floor.

"I can't tell you."

"Is everything okay?" Wilson smiled at the girl's concern.

"Everything's fine," he said as they approached the Dean of Medicine's Office. They watched Cuddy and House sit in silence and Alexis looked up at Wilson.

"Is there something going on between them?" Wilson sighed, wishing that she could give her a more positive answer.

"It's… complicated." Alexis shook her head and Wilson took a deep breath, knocking on the door before entering.

Alexis watched the silent interaction between Wilson, House, and Cuddy, seeing the looks on their faces, ones of quiet desperation, and her heart started to pound.

"What's going on?" She pleaded, after standing around for a few moments and there not being any words. After a few moments, she remembered what Cuddy had offered to do for her and a smile spread over her face. "Did you find my parents?" There was more silence and Alexis looked down, disappointed. "You… didn't find them, did you? It's… okay. Thank you… all… for everything," she said, a weight crushing down on her chest, as the glimmer of hope for a real life was snatched away just as quickly as it came. "I'm going to go," she said, grabbing her bag and turning to the door.

"Wait," Cuddy said and Alexis turned around, tears in her bright blue eyes. "You… might want to sit down." Alexis looked at Cuddy and sat, something about Cuddy compelling her to do so. She took a seat on the chair and Cuddy sat on the coffee table across from her.

"We… ran the DNA test. And in the past couple days, ran it again, to be sure… There's something you should know," Cuddy said, choosing her words very carefully, grabbing the paper off her desk, and handing it to Alexis. She watched Cuddy with a speculative gaze, tentatively unfolded the paper, reading over it. Cuddy watched her, looking over her shoulder at House, who was leaning against the desk, visibly frustrated.

"I don't… understand. Are you… together?" Alexis asked, even though Wilson had already told her. Cuddy shook her head.

"No… just for… that night," Cuddy blushed, forcing herself again not to look back at House. Alexis sighed, running a hand through her hair, her emotions spiraling out of control.

"You know… I had always imagined how this moment would go…"

"We spend our whole lives, always hoping, always living in our dreams," House interrupted, his gravelly, deep voice cutting through Alexis' light voice. "And then when something doesn't go the way we had hoped, everything that is or could be made out of the situation is ruined, because we refuse to let the perfect picture of our imaginations go." He fixated his gaze on his daughter, who looked taken aback. "But if you live in your imaginations, then –,"

"House!" Wilson yelled, startling them all. "Stop it. Just stop."

"It's fine," Alexis said, shaking her hand and grabbing her bag. "You're right," she said, turning to look at House, and Cuddy's heart swelled with emotion as she saw House's eyes on their daughters face. "I had always imagined how this moment would go, finding my family – my real parents together, and I could just fit right in, like I had never left. Maybe… maybe if you can figure things out, we can try to be a family – but until then, I'm … just going to go."


	5. Chapter 5

Hi everyone... so, next chapter lol! It'll be over soon though :(. But I have two new stories to keep me [and you] entertained! So check those out, and if you haven't, please check out Another Life, my one completed story! I'm an awful writer but I love the feedback.

**Disclaimer and Copyright: Blah blah blah. I'm bored of writing that. We all know David Shore is a genius.**

So as always, read, review, and enjoy!

* * *

Cuddy watched as Alexis walked away, the doors vibrating as they angrily shut. She remained numb for a few moments, letting what had happened sink in and then broke down in raking sobs, falling to the floor. Wilson rushed over and caught her, and she clung to him, wrapping her arms around him, and sobbing into his shirt. Wilson embraced her, looking over Cuddy's shoulder at House who remained silent. Wilson shook his head angrily, giving him the coldest look. House met his eyes for a moment or two and then looked away, embarrassed.

"Why did you do that?" Cuddy asked, turning around, wiping under her eyes. She had put so much hope into Alexis staying and maybe with her, things with her and House could finally work out.

"It's true. We're not what she wanted – and if she was so set on finding this perfect family, a fairytale ending, she wasn't going to find that here with us. We can't even get it together to be together, much less fit a teenage daughter into our lives." Tears rolled down Cuddy's cheeks as she moved closer to him.

"And you know what? She… could have been the one chance that we could have had to get it together."

* * *

The tears started the second the doors to the Dean of Medicine's office closed and Alexis picked up her pace, wanting to leave this place as quickly as possible. She ran into someone on the way out, stumbling back a little.

"I'm sorry," she choked out, grabbing the file that had dropped from the doctor's hand and she stood up and looked into Cameron's green eyes. Cameron smiled, remembering that House and Cuddy were going to break the news to Alexis, but her smile turned quickly into a frown as she saw the tears.

"What's wrong?" Cameron asked, putting a hand on Alexis's arm. Alexis shook her head, wiping the tears off her face. Cameron led her to a bench down the hall, as Alexis collapsed into sobs.

"I wish I had never known…" She cried on Cameron's shoulder and Cameron embraced her, stroking her brunette hair as she comforted her.

* * *

The huge blow-up between House and Cuddy had gone around the hospital in a matter of days, not initially by word of mouth, but the secret was out once the other doctors and nurses had caught on to the cold looks and the screaming matches taking place in the hallways. House had been loading up on Vicodin, his dose increasing exponentially each day. Cuddy had locked herself in her office - anyone passing by could see her huddled on the couch, staring off into space, and neglecting copious amounts of work that just lay piled up on her desk. Everything that had once seemed so perfect was now broken into pieces that were too small to fix.

It was the end of the day and Cuddy was getting out of a meeting as she walked by House's office, who was merely playing a song on his guitar, like this hadn't affected him in anyway – like he hadn't lost her and Alexis in one fell swoop. Not like either of them mattered to him anyway. She leaned back against the hospital wall as she swooshed her hair up into a clip, took a deep breath, and walked over to his office, knocking on the door. He looked up and looked down – a signal in their silent language, meaning, 'I don't give a damn whether you come in or not.' Cuddy opened the door, and despite her animosity towards him now, butterflies flitted around in her stomach.

"I thought you would be home," her words broke through the silence, ringing like bells in the empty office.

"Great acoustics – it's like a live concert in here." Cuddy nodded, the silence descending upon them once again, except for House's occasional strumming of guitar strings. She wasn't sure what she was doing in here, what she was expecting. He wasn't the type for grand, romantic gestures, much less romantic gestures. She shook her head, her physical and mental state both weary with burden.

"I give up," she proclaimed, and the chords stopped. He looked up at her, trying to find not truth, but deception in her eyes. When he wasn't able to find any, he stopped playing, his heart pounding out shaky beats.

"What do you mean?" he asked, even though he knew perfectly well what she meant. She sighed, deciding to humor him.

"I'm done… pretending that I don't want us… that I don't want you, want us. I'm tired of trying to fight for this, of waking up every morning and hoping that maybe today will be the day, but going to bed every night wondering what could I have possibly done wrong. And I'm tired," she said, throwing her hands up in visible defeat. "So, I'm… done. I'm going back to being nothing more than your boss, who you drive crazy trying to test obscene medical theories, and I will say no, and that will be that." Cuddy took a few steps away, lingering at the end of her conversation, for the last time putting her heart out on the line. He remained silent, words pressing at his lips, but something held them back. She sighed, turning around on her heels, and leaving the office, heading towards the elevators. Cuddy felt sad – beyond sad even, devastated that she put her heart on the line, offered it to him on a silver platter, but once again, he ignored it. It was one of those moments that she would normally be crying her eyes out; but she had cried for too long now – her eyes were devoid of tears.

* * *

If she had come home before finding out who they really were, Alexis would have been overcome with sadness coming home – the hospital staff was so considerate and she had been treated better there than she had been in years. She was still upset as she unlocked the back door quietly, trying to avoid waking up her dad, thinking about everything that had happened with her … parents (just thinking of them as that was strange). Home had looked so good to her as she had walked out of that hospital just a few days ago, but panic overtook her and she had decided to hide out a friend's for a few days. Alexis locked the back door and slipped into her room, sighing with relief. The relief, however, was short-lived as she heard a man's voice yell her name from the other room.

"Yes?" she asked, poking her head into the living room. Her dad, once young and handsome, now changed by the loss of his true love was now showing signs of age.

"Don't say yes like that." He spat and Alexis took a deep breath. "Where have you been?" Alexis opened her mouth to speak, before glancing at the beer bottles piled up on the table.

"At Molly's house," she lied, knowing he would be pissed otherwise.

"Don't lie to me," he said, standing up and laying a blow across her face, so hard that her chin snapped against her neck. Her face smarted and tears quickly sprung to her eyes. "The damn hospital has been sending bills. You better find a way to pay these, because I sure as hell am not," he said, heading into the kitchen to grab another beer. Alexis stood there, her pulse racing as she quietly slipped back into her room. She got a washrag and ran it under cold water, pressing it to her face. She flinched at the sting for a moment, and then looked at it. There was a red mark, hopefully that would go away with the cool water. Tears slid down her cheeks, as she wanted desperately to escape, to run far away. Her world seem small, her future bleak as there was nowhere she could run to without him finding her. She headed back to her room, lying down on the bed when she felt a piece of paper grazing her neck. Alexis pulled it out, reading it, an idea slowly forming in her head.

* * *

Today had been exceptionally long. Cameron had decided that as she and Chase drove back to her apartment, excited to do nothing for the rest of the night except indulge in vast amounts of Chinese foods and television shows. The food had been delivered and they were sitting on the couch, comfortably lounging in sweatpants and oversized t-shirts the doorbell when there was a knock on the door. Cameron and Chase exchanged a glance, wondering why there was no buzz. Chase stood up, going to answer the door, Cameron peering cautiously out from behind him.

"Hi… sorry… to intrude on you guys. Can…?" Alexis stood in the doorway, holding a duffel bag and a backpack. "Can I come in?"


	6. Chapter 6

Hi everyone! Here's the sixth chapter for this story. This is the second to last, so my second story will almost complete! It's amazing actually, I can't believe I've finished so many. You guys have been so amazing, reading all my stuff, and inspiring me to write more. I owe all of this to you!

Sorry it's taken so long, I've had major writers block, and couldn't figure out how to write this chapter. Then all of a sudden, at like 11:45, I'm getting ready to go to bed because of school tomorrow, and I'm suddenly hit with a bolt of inspiration! So here I am, an hour later, publishing this chapter :). I want to thank EliH2 SO much for giving me an idea for this chapter. So if you're reading this, thank you so much!

**Disclaimer & Copyright: God these are annoying.**

So, as always, read, review, and enjoy!

* * *

Alexis sat on the couch, taking in her surroundings as Chase handed her a glass of water, sitting on the coffee table next to Cameron. They exchanged glances as they both noticed the red smeared across her face. Alexis blushed, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear as she took a breath.

"I'm sorry," she repeated.

"For what?" Cameron asked, looking intently at the girl, whose guilt seemed to be eating at her, tearing her apart.

"For intruding… I'm sure you guys had plans," she said, glancing at the Chinese food, still warm on their plates. They shook their heads.

"It's okay," Chase reassured her. They remained quiet and Cameron stood up, walking around the couch to grab the phone off the table.

"What are you doing?" Chase asked, as he turned around to watch her.

"I'm calling your parents," she said.

"No!" Alexis cried, startling Cameron, who pressed the end button and stared at her.

"You can't call him," she pleaded, "He'll just come and get me and it'll be even worse." Cameron shook her head.

"I'm calling your _real_ parents."

* * *

Lisa Cuddy was getting ready to go to sleep – she did that more than ever these days, too guilty about her lies catching up to her, and too upset about losing everything that was important to her. She trudged around the house in oversized sweatpants and a sweatshirt, feeling unattractive and uncomfortable in her skin. The phone rang and she ignored, deciding to let the machine pick it up.

"This is Lisa Cuddy – I can't get to the phone, but leave your name and number, and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Thank you!" Her voice floated through the speakers on the machine and she paused for a moment, listening in amazement. She had sounded so breezy, so happy when she had recorded that message, whenever it might have been. Now, and for the past week or so, every word sounded wrong, as if it was forced – which on some level it was. Not many people had talked to her lately – House was avoiding her at all costs, Wilson knew it was best to leave her alone, and the rest of the hospital knew only to contact her in case of a dire emergency, that only the Dean of Medicine could take care of.

Cameron's voice came through the speakers and Cuddy stopped to listen.

"Hi Dr. Cuddy, It's Cameron and Chase. Alexis is here –," Cuddy ran to the phone at the mention of Alexis, pressing it against her cool cheek, her heart rate increasing.

"Hello?"

"Hi," Cameron said, looking at Chase and Alexis who were sitting and talking behind her. She moved into the other room and spoke again, her voice low and cautious.

"After she left the hospital that day, I gave her my number in case of emergencies. Tonight, her dad had too much to drink and he hit her, and she came here… I wanted…," Cameron explained, and then realized she didn't know what she had called Cuddy for.

"I want you to talk to her." Cameron heard a sharp intake of breath.

"I'll be right there." The line went dead as Cuddy hurriedly threw on a bra, shoes, and ran out the door, scared of what awaited her but eager to see her daughter again.

Cameron headed back into the room and looked at Chase.

"Cuddy's on her way. Should I call House?" Cameron asked and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Alexis' head hang.

'_She doesn't expect him to care,'_ Cameron realized after a moment with a startling jolt, and before Chase could say anything, she was in the kitchen, dialing House's number.

House had come home that night, Cuddy's words not yet having penetrated his glass heart, his bulletproof heart. He sat at the piano bench throughout most of the night, trying to drum up some emotions with his music. After nothing happened, he sat in stone cold silence, wondering if he was that heartless, if he was that devoid of feeling. He felt something for Cuddy – he just wasn't sure if it was in his capacity to express those emotions. The phone rang, luckily, in his reach and he grabbed it, expecting it to be Wilson, ready with cookies and tissues to discuss his every emotion.

"What do you want Wilson?"

"It's not Wilson. It's Cameron." House sighed.

"No more late night booty calls, Cameron – it's getting too complicated. Plus Chase is my friend, and you know what they say – bros before hoes!" Cameron rolled her eyes.

"Funny, House. Be serious for once," she said, becoming slightly agitated. "It's

about Alexis." A jolt went through House's veins and he was numb.

"What about her?" Cameron explained the situation and the numbness slowly turned into something – the same emotion he had felt waking up from the infarction and finding the use of his leg strictly limited, the feelings for Detective Tritter during the police investigations, and the same feeling he had felt towards Cuddy when he found out about their child. He was angry – pissed in fact. House smashed the phone down on the receiver and sat for a moment, grabbing his keys, cane, and heading out the door, slamming the door closed behind him.

Cameron jumped at the loud noise, then pressing end on her line. She came into the living room to Chase, who looked as if he knew what to expect, and Alexis, who looked so hopeful that Cameron wanted to cry.

"What did he say?" Cameron was silent and Alexis' face changed her bright blue eyes full of sorrow. There was an urgent buzz on the receiver, and Cameron buzzed Cuddy up.

"I'm sorry," Cameron said softly, going to embrace Alexis. Alexis laid her head on Cameron's shoulder, knowing it was pointless to cry over her real father and knowing just as well that he didn't love her. There was a knocking on the door and Chase went to answer it, letting in a frantic looking Cuddy. Chase and Cameron stood up, nodding their heads, and leaving the two of them alone. There was a silence in the room and Cuddy walked over to Alexis, sitting next to her on the couch.

"I'm sorry," Cuddy said quietly, and for the first time, Alexis saw through her touch façade into the vulnerable spot of her soul. Those two words carried such a heavy meaning for them. "If there's something that I could do… I will," she whispered, too much emotion resting on her shoulders to be able to push out any sound. Alexis considered this and a twinkle of hope appeared in her eyes.

"There is something…," she said slowly. Cuddy nodded.

"Anything."

"I want… you to… adopt me," Alexis said, and as soon as she said the words, they fit, the missing pieces of the puzzle finally returned. Cuddy looked surprised.

"What?"

"I'm so tired of being treated like crap, going back to that house and getting the same abuse day after day – I want something real. I want to get to know my mom," Alexis said as a tear rolled down her cheek. Cuddy rushed to embrace her, tears pushing through a dam in her heart, and for a long time, mother and daughter sat intertwined like that on the couch. Cuddy nodded as she pulled away, wiping the tears out from under her eyes.

"Okay," she said, her voice suddenly returning. Half of her broken heart swelled in pure ecstasy as she embraced Alexis again.

"Are you sure?" Alexis asked, unable to move from Cuddy's iron-tight grip. She could feel Cuddy's head nodding against her shoulder and smiled.

'_This is going to work,' _she thought. She was sure of it.

* * *

House was thankful he had pretended to work today, Alexis' case file was in his backpack, under the pretense he was going to fill out meaningless forms after work hours. So because of this, he knew where she lived and her father's name was John. It was 11:30 on a Wednesday night, but he didn't care – something, a blind rage perhaps, had seized him and he didn't care what happened, or if he was yelled at. He knocked on the door for a few straight minutes before a man answered it – House was sure this was him.

"Is your name John Tanner?"

"Yeah. Who the hell are you?" House moved past him into the entryway.

"Who the hell are you and what the hell are you doing at my house?" The man repeated and House fixed his fierce blue gaze on him.

"My name's Dr. House." The man paused for a moment and then his eyes widened in recognition.

"You treated my daughter for… whatever she had. You charge too damn much!" The man complained and House scoffed – he was concerned about the money.

"Yeah – I'm her doctor. I was also with a Lisa Cuddy for one night sixteen years ago. Does that name sound familiar to you?" House practically spat, watching, as he still looked confused. "I'm her father, you moron." The man's plump face turned purple with rage.

"Like hell you are! Who has taken care of her for the past sixteen years? Who gave her a roof, and food, and clothing?"

"Taken care of her – her mother took care of her, and when she hit the bricks, you left her by herself!" House accused and John's face turned even darker.

"You son of a bitch," John said, lunging at him and House grabbed his hand, twisting it and dropping his cane, he punched him square in the eye, with such force that knocked him to the ground.

"Don't touch her again."

* * *

Okay this announcement is just for clarification, because I got a really weird review to one of my other stories the other day about a Hameron scene I put in there - I'm NOT a Hameron fan - purely Huddy and Chameron! Hameron scenes are fun to write because they have such a teasing cat and mouse relationships, full of Freudian slips. It's just amusing and despite them not being a couple, they have great chemistry. So I just wanted to clarify that for you for all you Huddy/Chameron fans out there.


	7. Chapter 7

Hey everyone! This is the last chapter to this story, I hope everyone enjoyed it and don't hate me too much for inflicting this on the world. I've got three other stories that I'm working on so you should check those out. Thank everyone who's read this for all the support and ideas and everything. Thank you so much for reading!

And I'm sorry - the story is short and this chapter is FREAKISHLY short.

**Disclaimer & Copyright: Blah blah.**

So for the last time, read, review, and enjoy!

* * *

There was a knocking at the door, and after some friendly bickering on who would go answer it, Chase reluctantly stood up and went to go answer it.

"Oh my god," Chase muttered, putting one arm under the groggy and incoherent House, Wilson on the other arm.

"He called me a couple miles from his house. Said he needed to be picked up and couldn't drive. I figured he was drunk, but then I found him like this," Wilson explained as they lay House on the couch.

"What's going on?" Cuddy called from the kitchen where Alexis, Cameron, and Cuddy all sat. House's eye that wasn't swollen snapped open – he saw his reflection in Wilson and Chase's eyes and he winced – he looked terrible.

"She – They can't know I'm here," he pleaded. Wilson and Chase rolled their eyes.

"Nothing," they called in unison, knowing it wouldn't keep them from coming in. Cameron came first, her eyes growing wide with horror, Cuddy second, a cry bursting from her throat. Alexis followed, not knowing yet what had happened.

"What's going on?" She asked, her bright blue eyes showing that she was innocent. She looked past Cuddy and Cameron and saw House, and she stopped, frozen to the ground.

"Oh my god," she echoed Chase, running to the couch and dropping to her knees. The rest moved closer, taking a better look at him. Bruises were starting to form on his shoulders, arms, and face. His nose appeared to be broken and his left eye was swollen shut.

"What happened?" Wilson asked as he crossed his arms, assuming the worst. House looked around at the throng of people crowding around the couch and sighed, embarrassed.

"I went to go see her dad. Give the asshole a piece of my mind," he said flatly, looking up at the ceiling. They exchanged a look as they realized that House had actually done a selfless deed, something for another human being. Tears slid down Alexis' cheeks.

"Why did you do that?" Alexis asked her voice barely above a whisper – she was so wrought with emotion that words had momentarily escaped her. House shrugged.

"I felt… responsible for you." Alexis wrinkled her brow, peering at him intently, trying to uncover a deeper meaning to his words.

"What are you trying to say?"

"I know…," House began to say, noticing the others step away, giving the father and daughter some space. "I know I was unbelievably cruel before. And… I'm… sorry." He began – apologies weren't his forte. "I want to be able to make it up to you. And maybe we can be a family – if you'll take me." Even though he was speaking to Alexis, he looked up hopefully at Cuddy. Cuddy smiled lightly, stepping forward next to Alexis and put her hand gently on their daughter's shoulder. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting all of her emotions drain slowly, as not to make an impulsive decision. When she opened her eyes, her blue eyes matched House's, and her heart started to pound with a blaze that could have knocked her over. Cuddy took another deep breath and nodded.

"Okay," she said slowly as she reached out and gingerly interlaced his fingers with hers. He gave her hand a gentle squeeze and the three sat together as a family for the first time.

* * *

2 years later…

An ear-splintering scream came from the kitchen and Cuddy reluctantly entangled from her husband's arms on the couch and went to the kitchen, her hands protectively cradled around her inflated stomach.

"What is it honey?" House asked, following Cuddy as he rested against the counter.

"I got into Johns Hopkins!" Alexis exclaimed ecstatically as she leapt over to her parents and gave them hugs.

"You know your dad went there… until he got kicked out," Cuddy teased lightly and House made a face at her.

"She knows the story," he said complacently and rolled his eyes. Alexis laughed at her parents, giving them another hug.

"You know… I wanted to thank you both… for everything, for everything you've done for me. I love you both so much." Cuddy and House smiled at each other, glad that after such a long time they could become the picture perfect happy family.


End file.
